to sitt in the chayer of pestelence teaching the doctrine of Balaam to geue scādal Ouer many such haue bene in our dayes and I praye God there be not yet some remayning But let them take heede for Christ wil come quicklye wil fight against them with the sworde of his mouthe that is to saye with the trueth of his worde The a foresayde verse Tertuliā thinketh sufficiēt to forbid al resort to al vnlawful assemblies whether they be gathered with entent of Idolatrye of iniquitye or for vanities sake as wanton playes and dishonest spectacles although they be not expreslye forbidden in scripture And therfore vndoubtedly it may wel be applied vnto the cōuenticles of heretiks wherin so many vngodly folke concurt together in the verye acte of dishonouring God by impugning his true religion of contempt of the churche by vsurpatiō of their new deuised seruice of derision of Christs Sacraments by profane rites of their owne friuolous inuention Yet furthermore the same royal Prophet in an other psalme declaring his owne innocency sayth I haue not sitten that is to say I haue not stayed any while with the councel of vanitye and with them that doe wickedlye I wil not goe in by once seeming to alowe that which they doe I haue hated the church of the malignant and with the vngodly I wil not sitt I wil wash my handes among innocents and I wil cōpasse thine altar round a bout by cleauing fast to Christe and his Catholike Church And within a few wordes I haue loued the cōelynes of thy house and the dwelling place of thy glory As a Catholike might saye the cause wherfore I refrayne in this sort from wicked company of heretiks in their churches is the loue and zeale whiche I beare to the beauty of Gods Church the merueylous disposition of her seruice the reuerend maiesty of her Sacraments decent order of her Ceremonies wher of I find no resemblance in the newe deformed congregation In an other Psalme he saythe after he hath spoken of vngodly men I wil not cōmunicat with their elect or chosen men Which S. Augustine in his time applyed to the cheefe masters of the Manachies who were called Electi And we may applye it wel ro all those of Caluins crew who most vndoubtedly presume that they are elected by God and predestinat to euerlasting saluation Contrariwise in an other Psalme an euil man is reprehended by God with these wordes Thou didest see a theefe and didest runne with him and with aduouterers thou didest lay thy portion Heretikes are the theeues by stealing and abusing the Scripture They are also aduouterers by corrupting the sincerity of simple mens faith with false doctrine And whereof did proceede such boldnes to ioyne and take parte with iniquity Thou hast thought wickedly that I wil be like vnto thee as commonly men wil saye God is mercyful as gentle to beare with schisme as thou to fauour heresye I wil reproue thee and saye it to thy face by charging thee with it at the dreadful day of iudgment But these places may seme a like for the auoyding of al euil companye Now more particularly for the shunning of such as wilfully diuide thē selues from Gods church we reade in the Gospel of S. Iohn that the Iewes did not communicate with the Samarytans who were schismatikes in respect of the olde law and therfore were most abhorred by the faithful folke of Gods people And although they did also abstayne from hauing conuersation with other Infidels Wher-vppon our Sauiour geueth vs a rule to shunn an heretike or anye one that disobayeth the Churche euen as the Iewes did deteste the Heathen and the Publicane And the like cōmandement hath ben geuen continualye by the blessed Apostles in their writings First by S. Paule I desire you brethern sayth he to marke them that make dissentions scandals contrary to doctrine which you haue learned and auoyd thē The reasone he yeldeth within a few words for that this cōpany is perilous Because by sweete speeches benedictiōs they seduce the hartes of innocents By often naming of the Lord and his woorde by frequēt cyting of Scripture by reading the Gospel the Psalmes other partes of the olde and new Testament they steale to them by title and litle the mindes of ignorant people And to the Corinthians he vrgeth the matter more vehemenlye after that he hathe geuen commandement not to beare the yoke with Insidels that is to say not to communicate with them in anye sorte in their woorkes of infidelitye shewing by diuers poynts of disagreement that there could be no felowshipe or conueniencie betwene them First in respect of the diuers disposition of their wils what participation hath Iustice with iniquitye Iustice requireth that a man exhibet his seruice to God in the Catholike Church it is great iniquitie to withdraw him-selfe and others from the same seruice as heritikes do by raysing perticuler factions Then because of their different doctrine What societie is there betwene light darknes So you haue bene brought vpp in the lignt of Gods trueth and the protestantes wander in darknes of sunderye foule and absurde errors Thirdlye because of the diuers Authors and founders of their congregations what agreemēt betwene Christ Belial Now Christ hath builded his Church vppon the succession of S. Peeter and Belial the spirite of disobedience is the verye beginner of all heretical and schismattical conuentickles Fourthlye because their whole state differeth what parte hath the faithful with the heretikes or Infidels yea and the worse sorte of Infidels because of their departure from the faythe once receyued by reasone wherof their error is lesse excuseable their malice commonly greater their company more perilous for infection and lesse hope of their recouerye then of such as neuer knew Christs religion Lastly for the diuersitie of their external seruice What agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols for you ar the Temple of the liuing God sayth the Apostle which he proueth by that saying in the lawe that God wil dwel and walke in them and wil be their God they shal be his people So the whole Catholike church is the Tēple of God but the doctrine of heretikes their cōmunion al their other external rites of religion are spiritual Idoles of their owne inuention and haue succeded in place of grosse and carnal Idolatry and therfore no lesse to be shunned and detested For which cause sayth the Apostle aledging the Prophet Isay and Ieremye Goe out of the midst of them by geuing no credit to their false teaching and seaperat your selues by auoyding of occasions of contagion and touche not the vncleane by seeming in anye sorte to consent vnto their wickednes and I will receyue you and I will be a father to you and you shalbe my sonnes and daughters sayth our Lorde omnipotent Likewise to the Thessalonians he denounceth in the name of our
Lord Iesus Christ that they should withdraw them-selues frō euerye brother walking in ordinatly not according to the tradition which they had receyued Also yf any were disobediente they should note him by an epistle and not companye with him that he might be confounded Wihche is one principal cause why the Churche layeth vppon heretikes this payne to be excluded frō the societye of her children intending therby their correctiō as hauing more power ouer them then other Infidels A nother cause which is the peril leste the sincere parte should be corrupted by their companye is expressed in one of the Epistles to Timothye where it is sayde That their speache spredeth as a canker pernitiously creeping from one member to a nother Also the same Apostle commandeth Titus by expresse worde to auoyd an heretike knowing that such a one is subuerted that is to saye he is commonly past hope of amendment and condemned by his owne iudgmēt by his wilful running out of the Catholike churche And agreably vnto this S. Iohn in one of his epistles sayth Yf anye man come vnto you and bring not thys doctrine meaning that which had bene taught by the Apostles other lawful pastors receyue him not into thy house nor saye God saue you vnto him for he that sayeth vnto him God saue you communicateth with his wicked wordes And in his Reuelation he maketh reporte of Christ his owne wordes denouncing terrible punishment vnto all that shal participate with heresie vnder figure of those that cōmited aduoutry with a certein famos woman And in the same booke of Pro. phecye he reherseth the voyce of an Aungel who geueth warning vnto the seruants of God to auoyd flye al vngodly godly cōpany signified by the name figure of wicked Babylon Lest they shold be partakers of her sinnes and therby should receyue of her plagues and punishmētes This poynte was diligently obserued by S. Iohn himself who refused to tary in the same bathe with Cerinthus the enemye of truth lest the bath should fal downe and oppresse them bothe Also by Policarpus S. Iohn his scholer who would not take acquaintance of Marcian that famous heretike otherwise then by calling him the deuils eldest sonne And by S. Anthonie of whom it is written that he could not indure to speake one peaceable worde to an heretike And although it be permitted in places where heretikes are in great multitude for necessities sake to cōuerse and haue deling with them in worldly affayres so long as they be not by name excomunicated and denounced yet to haue felowship with them in actes of religiō it neuer was nor could be allowed or suffered But hath bene alwayes forbid den as I sayde before by the Cannons of the Church reyued from the blessed Apostles The authority of which Cannons moued Origen to refuse by anye meanes to be present at prayers with a certain heretike called Paule The same also moued Heraclas to cast out of the Churche certayne Christians because they had vsed the cōpanye of heretiks and not to be admitted againe before they had publikly declared whatsoeuer they had harde of those enemies of the trueth notwithstanding that he knewe them from their verye harte to be turned from all error and false doctryne The like is decreed by the blessed Pope and martyr Fabian and by the Counsels of Antioche and Laodicea by the fourthe Counsel of Carthage and dyuers others The same hath ben taught by holy Doctors as by S. Cyprian who speaking of heretiks and schismatikes sayth we must depart frō such offēders or rather we must flye frō them in haste lest that ioyning our selues with such as walke peruersly going with them in the waye of their error cryme and wandering a straye from the right and course of our iorney we be holden guilty of lyke offence And by S. Augustine who entring into conference with one of the Manachies secte maketh exception of three thinges whiche in no wise he wolde consente to doe First that he wolde not praye with them Secondly that he wolde not keepe solemne conuenticles with them Thirdlye that he wolde not take vpon him the name of a Manichie More-ouer it hathe bene practised by the whole church of al ages as may appeere by the exāple of those godly people of Allexādria Samosata Edessus with diuers other Cityes wher whole multitudes wolde rather choose to suffer deathe then once to enter the churches while the Arian prelats were present Whose godly zeale maye wel confound the colde deuotion of this vnhappy time wherin so few are found in comparison of a great number who in hart doe beleeue the Catholike religion so few there be I saye that wil be content to sustayne the losse of a fewe goods for the open profession of their fayth Yea many there be that wil not take knowledge of this case wherof in times past no man was ignorant no not the verye heretikes as Arians Donatists and suche like all hauing their seueral churches by them selues and refusing to communicate either with Catholiks or with any other sect disagreing from their opinion AND this maye be a nother important reason of your most iust and aduised refusal I meane the very iudgment and example of al Infidels touching participation with those of a nother religion the Iewes doe not enter into the churches of Christians The Turkes hold it for a signe of Mahomets religiō for one to come into their moskeyes the Lutherans and Caluinistes haue their seueral congregations one distincte from thother and al the protestantes in other countryes refuse to be present at the Catholike seruice So did as manye of them as had zeale or care of their cōscience in the late dayes of Quene Mary In which time a famos preacher of their faction inroled for a martire in Fox his booke making answere to a certayn woman who demanded of him whether she might goe to mattens and euensong for to goe to masse her conscience would not suffer her pronounced and gaue his sentēce in this or in muche like sorte that to goe to anye parte of the seruice then vsed sholde be a thing greatly against the honour of God and contrarye to the charitye due vnto her neyghbour It sholde be against God his honour because sayth he God is not to be honored but in such sort as he hath commaūded and taught by his worde meaning by God his worde expresse Scripture where-as we include also suche trueth as God hath reuealed vnto his Churche Also he sayde that by going vnto such seruice she should denye and disalowe of the whole doctrine of the Gospel And concerning breach of charity towardes her neyghbour she shold therby seuer her selfe from the congregation of the faithful She should great lye confirme the obstinate Papists in their error she should cause the weake Protestants to wauer in their religion and she should greatly offend the more firme sort of
Gospellers Beholde here the cause wherfore Catholiks be afflicted determined by the iudgment of a Protestant preacher and recorded in the a fore-sayd booke of Fox his monsterous monuments Which thing being wel cosiddered wolde make one to woūder that we should be so vrged by the Protestants at this daye to doe the same thing whiche in their owne case they haue thought must thinke very damnable seing that this common consent of all sectes and religions must nedes shew it to be a thing forbidden not only by man his ordinance but by the verye lawe of God and nature and consequently to be repugnant to the iudgment of euerye one that hathe in his breste but anye lytle sparke of vprightnes and sinceritye AND now lastlye to make vpp this matter of defence for your not going to the church you refuse to resort to such a seruice as besides that it hath bene deuised by the English Protestāts a mong them selues besides that it is condemned of other sectes besides that yt hathe no lyke paterne or platforme a mongste their Euangelicall brethren in other countries besides false translation of Scripture the defect of a lawful minister the want of sacrifice sacraments reuerent ceremonies and other things belonging to the honour of God which are conteyned in the Catholike seruice besides false doctrine and blasphemye which must needes be offensiue to all religious eares is mislyked of most euen at home and hath bene impugned by sundery printed pamphelets which hath geuen occasion of writing great bookes of controuersie Yea by all liklyhoode it had bene chaūged long before this day had not the grauer sorte made staye of the matter for feare to incurr the note of inconstancie yea in the last parlament holden in your Realme anno 29. wher in this monthly exaction was more aggrauated vpon you with peril of a greater forfayture a booke was exhibited for the reformation of the forme of cōmon prayer now vsed neyther was the matter determined otherwise then by contrarye commaundement of the superiors although one wold thinke by reasone it should haue bene agreed amongste them-selues what seruyce they should thinke beste to vse before you should haue bene compelled vnder so greuous a payne to resorte vnto their churches Lo now you see here the causes of your refusal A most happye refusal vndoubtedly yf you continue therin being grounded vppon so good reasons of conscience of duetye towards God of charity towards your Catholike bretheren of respect to religion of reuērece towards the Church of common honestie and playne dealing amongst men of care to auoyde the felowship of other mens sinnes being also iust as that euen those that do moste persecute you yf the case were their owne must needes plead for thē selues with the like alegations and fynally being moued with mislyke of the seruice where-vnto you are now commaūded to resort in which poynt your aduersaryes cannot iustly reproue you them-selues being not yet agreed whether it be the seruice of God or no manye of them earnestly mainteyning the contrarye The Second Parte what Recusants shall lose NOW Let vs considder what losse you shal sustayne for this refusall You shal lose so manye of you as shal not be able to discharge and aunswere this heauye summes your whole substance of moue-able goods and suche as haue landes shal lose moreouer two partes of their reuenewes and those that are of more abilitye to supporte this greeuous burthen shal be greatlye impouerished forced to abridge thēselues of that which otherwise should be verye conueniēt for their estate and calling A verye hard case vndoubtdely but yet not so harde but that by Gods grace it maye be easilye digested And firste of all those that haue greater lyuinges doe lesse stand in neede of comforte and with more quiete minds may sustayn the losse that shal fall vpon thē bothe for that they maye holde themselues the better cōtented in respect of thākfulnes towards God to lose a litle for his sake hauing receiued much farthermore because the inconueniēce which they shal suffer is but the abasing of their out-warde countenance in the world which I hope there is no Catholike but wil patiētly and gladly indure if it wer for no other cause yet for christian humilitye and modestye To such of you therfore as are of greater calling and haue more wher-with to mayntain your selues I saye that I trust there is none of you that so looketh towardes preferment but that you wil rather be content likewise to be aflicted with the people of God then by offending God to haue temporal pleasure for a while esteeming the reproche which you shal suffer for Christ greater riches then the treasure of the Egiptians that is to saye of the whole worlde There is none of you that so atendeth to purchase lands for the encreasing of your patrimonye but that you haue greater care by good deedes to buy the kingdome of heauē For if you purchase here on earth you are as it were not possessing And yf you reioyce in the worlde you are as yf you reioyced not And yf you vse the world as thogh you vsed it not Because the figure of this world passeth awaye I trust you account your selues here as straungers and Pilgrims and therfore you seeke to haue houses to dwel in for a while and not as though you should remayne in them for euer You shal be hindred by this persecution from prouiding for your children so plentifully as otherwise you would but you shal leaue vnto them Gods blessing whiche is more then al earthly riches You shal not marrye your daughters so richlye nor with so great portiōs but you shal matche them with Cotholikes who in this tyme of common necessitye shal more esteeme of religion thē of riches and shal more regard vertuous behauiour then vayne brauerye You shal perhapes not haue so great attendance of seruants but you shal be attended with Angels whersoeuer you goe And if you keepe not so greate familyes yet you maye keepe such as be deuout towards God and faithful towards your selues As vndoubtedlye you shal make them much the better by this your example of suffering for Gods cause Also you shal haue the lesse to aunswere for manye idle persons and in a smaller number you shal haue the fewer euyl You shal keepe lesse hospitality among your neyghbours but you shal be the lesse enuyed by your aduersaryes and withal you shal haue lesse occasion to entertayne vnthankful heretikes anb schismatikes who preying vpon your monye can the lesse expecte to be fedd at your tables Yea perhaps you shal be able to bestow more largelye vpon the domestical of fayth or if your almes be lesse for lack of ability your good-wils shal be rather the more For as you know the widdowes two mites is more then any riche mans treasure and good folke wil considder that you are afflicted Catholiks and therfore wil require